In a bid to provide South Africans with convenient and affordable access to private safety and safekeeping, a security company is arming citizens with the power to protect themselves by simply shaking or dropping their phone to activate the distress feature.
“Being safe is a basic human right and should be treated as such. However, in the past, only a small number of our population had access to private security services. This is especially true for women, who are often subjected to gender-based violence. With the help of the latest technology, previously underutilised private security resources are now available to more communities within South Africa because the journey to making South Africa safe is a long one and this is our way of contributing to our ever-growing society,” says Michael Brown from iFearLESS.
The smartphone bodyguard app, iFearLESS, launched this month across all app stores and was created with women’s safety in mind. It gives subscribers access to a multitude of effective and reliable private armed response companies, emergency medical services, legal assistance as well as trauma assistance. The app alert is activated by simply shaking or dropping your smartphone or by pushing the activation button.
As soon as the app is activated, a 20-second audio/video recording starts and is automatically sent to the cloud for safekeeping, which can later be used to assist in the apprehension and conviction of suspects.
The app is location-driven via the GPS on the user’s smartphone. The app uses technology much like ride e-hailing apps and autonomously connects the user with the five nearest armed response vehicles. It simultaneously also sends an SMS with the user’s location to their pre-selected emergency contacts to inform them that their loved one is in danger.
The Institute for Security Studies cites approaches to safety and security that use ‘tough on crime’ tactics that make little to no impact on safety. Calls for ‘declaring a war on crime’ and having opinions on ‘zero tolerance’ for persons in conflict with the law, in fact often ignore human rights, do not deter crime, and most importantly, do not make people feel safe.
Statistics gathered by the South African Police Service from January 2020 to March 2021 indicate that robbery at residential premises increased by 7,6%, while car-jackings were 4,9% higher in the period under review. But perhaps the most daunting figures are those of murder and attempted murder, clocking in at 8,4% and 8,7% respectively. There were also 9518 incidents of reported rape during the same period.
“Unfortunately, as the recent outbursts of violence that broke out in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng indicated, citizens cannot always solemnly rely on the police to come to their aid when their lives or property are at risk. And in light of the large numbers of violent incidents against women, citizens also need to equip themselves with something more personal and reliable. This is the gap security companies such as iFearLESS are bridging using innovation to equip residents with the immediate power to protect themselves and take back their safety,” concludes Brown.
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